Angel_Arle Rockman reviews
Part 1: Rockman for Famicom
Part 2: Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo for Famicom
Part 3: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? for Famicom
Part 4: Rockman World for GB
Part 5: Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! for Famicom
Part 6: Rockman World 2 for GB
Part 8: Rockman World 3 for GB
Part 9: Wily & Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise for Famicom
Part 10: Rockman World 4 for GB
Part 11: Rockman 6: Shijō Saidai no Tatakai!! for Famicom
Part 12: Rockman's Soccer for Super Famicom
Part 13: Rockman World 5 for GB
We’re in the 7th part of this review series and it’s another action platformer on the Famicom. I’m surprised Capcom still even had good ideas left for the franchise and this isn’t even the last game on the console. If Rockman 5: Blues no Wana!? (Translated as Rockman 5: Blues’ Trap!?) is known for one thing, I’d have to say it’s being one of the least liked of the Famicom games. I’ve never really seen anyone say this is their favorite though I’m sure they exist. I was hoping playing this again would change my mind on it like with 4 but well let’s get into it.
So what’s the plot this time? Well after two months from Rockman 4, Rock begins to ask Dr. Right about who exactly Blues is. Dr. Right reluctant to give an answer when suddenly Dr. Cossack let them know a new creation named Beat the Bird was finished. Rockman goes out to retrieve him but it gives the chance for evil to attack and not only that it appears Blues is their leader. Dr. Right calls Rockman back for an emergency but it was too late as Blues kidnapped him. With no time to think, Rockman sets forth to put a stop to Blues and his eight Robot Masters that he somehow has. Now I wanna point something out, a video I watched for this game said the japanese manual spoils what happens later on. I tried to read this manual and could not find where it says this outside of Rockman not believing it was Blues so if you wanna call me out for just not seeing it in the manual then go right ahead.
There is barely anything to add in terms of controls or new mechanics. All that’s been added for this one is the new Super Rock Buster. Yes already they’re doing another new Buster. It’s a more powerful charge size and power wise compared to 4’s New Rock Buster but it has the side effect of losing the charge when you get hit. It should be noted it was Dr. Cossack who developed this new Buster so that’s nice of him.
Let’s just discuss this now, Rockman 5 is easy. Like it is a very easy game that even the PS1 release I’ll go over in the future called it the Easy Rockman game. While it’s not Rockman World 2 easy, it can feel like it at times. That said however, stage design still follows a lot of what made Rockman 4 very good. You got the likes of the interesting yet deceptive gravity of Gravity Man’s stage, the falling crystals of Crystal Man’s stage, and then just Vietnam from Napalm Man’s stage. That said however not every stage is all that great. You got stuff like Charge Man and Gyro Man’s stages being just alright but nothing outstanding. Then you have Wave Man’s which has a cool pipe leak hazard, bubble platforming, and even riding a water jetski to shoot enemies down but the level feels kind of unfinished. It only has one very easy bubble section and there’s like almost no enemies until the jetski section. Stone Man’s stage is also just really boring but it is one of two stages to have the new M-Tank. It refills all of your weapon energy and health. Though you can only carry one with you. If for some reason if you want more lives which idk why you would, try using the M-Tank when everything is full. It will turn every enemy into a 1-up. For the order of Robot Masters I did, this time it was Gravity -> Gyro -> Crystal -> Napalm -> Stone -> Charge -> Wave -> Star. You know what I also realize? There’s only one mini boss in this game and it’s Octoper OA in Wave Man’s stage. I wonder why there’s none in this title? I really can’t describe well what makes the level design less fun in this one. Maybe it’s the challenge but I personally think it’s because some levels aren’t as fun as they could be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still in ways very solid but nothing about it feels all that exciting anymore outside of some notable setpieces like I mentioned earlier. I’m not saying it should be like 100% new innovative gameplay but I think me preferring 4’s level design more is hurting my perception of this title’s stage design.
Well unlike Rockman 4, you won’t struggle too hard on these Robot Masters. Stone Man is pretty easy as he just jumps around most of the time. Just don’t bother shooting him when he’s crumbled apart. He also uses Power Stone but trust me you’ll be fine. Gravity Man is on the opposite side of you so try to shoot him as you’re switching sides and he won’t be too bad. Just remember he does try to get under you and occasionally shoot at you. Crystal Man starts off with 4 Crystal Eyes but that’s the only part you’ll have a hard time dodging because he then likes to shoot just one Crystal Eye at you making it a relatively easy fight. I hate fighting Charge Man, I’ve never had a Robot Master fight where it’s so 50/50 if I win. He likes to charge at you and also shoot out 3 pieces of coal in a random location. The problem is he is invulnerable during the attacks making it feel more tedious. Napalm Man likes to shoot out missiles and lob out Napalm Bombs. He’s surprisingly easy to dodge so once you learn his two moves then you’ll be golden! Wave Man will spout out a Water Wave that will bounce off your Buster shots. He will also shoot a small trident at you so watch out. Star Man will have his Star Crash protecting him and will throw it at you but he’s so easy to dodge that you’ll have him beat in no time. Gyro Man will throw his Gyro Attack at you so be ready to slide and when he goes up in the clouds, be ready for him to land on you. So they’re not all bad fights but nothing too memorable either. Don’t really have much else to say.
Oh boy, the special weapons in this game. I have a lot of things to say about these. Power Stone from Stone Man is bad.It shoots out three stones in this circle like pattern and it’s not only hard to aim it most of the time but the power is lacking on this one making it not worth using outside of very very niche scenarios. Gravity Hold from Gravity Man is just Rain Flush but worse. That means it’s still good but what kept it from being my favorite one is that enemies won’t drop items if you defeat them this way so be thoughtful of that when doing the fortress levels. Crystal Eye from Crystal Man is okay but could be a lot better. It shoots one big crystal but if it hits a wall, it’ll release three small crystals that bounce around. It’s just hard to set up this one well because again, the power isn’t amazing on it. Charge Kick from Charge Man is really really bad! It gives your slide an attack like you’re playing Valis III but it not only does this mean it works on ground enemies only but you can’t even use your Super Rock Buster for this special weapon. Even worse, only one enemy is weak to it which is Suzy G. It’s not even good for Wave Man since you’ll get hurt trying to use it most of the time. In fact the only enemy I ever felt confident using it on was Twin Cannon which isn’t even a hard enemy! Napalm Bomb from Napalm Man is the best move in the game but that’s not saying much. It shoots out a bomb that moves forward that is mostly useful for stuff on the ground. A lot of enemies are actually weak to this move so it’s not bad to have out at times but its weaknesses do bring it down sadly. Water Wave from Wave Man is also bad. It shoots out water that moves on the ground but like why would you even want this when we already have a good move for ground enemies? I never found a use for it. Star Crash from Star Man is just another shield weapon and it’s the worst one so far. It’s weak and you don’t need it in a game like this to begin with. The only reason it’s not even worse is because it can help for Crystal Man’s stage.Gyro Attack is good but that’s mostly because a lot of enemies are weak to it. It lets you shoot it and let it move up or down depending on the direction you press. Great for Apache Joe and Power Muscler. My advice is to just stick with Gravity Hold, Napalm Bomb and Gyro Attack. Ignore the rest because I think I played worse trying to use them. The Super Rock Buster is better than every special weapon in most scenarios. I think Gyro Attack is the only one you really need if you don’t care to use them but Napalm Bomb can be helpful in scenarios.
What does Rush have for us this time? Well Rush Coil was changed so now he bounces with you letting you jump at the apex of it. Though the height is identical to the original Coil. I still will hate it because one time I used it and Rockman went through him and I fell on spikes, fun. Rush Jet is back but it’s been nerfed again! Get hit while riding him and it knocks you off so be careful when using him over deadly hazards. Rush was done dirty in this game. Eddie is still in levels so if you remember what I said about him in 4, well he’s the same here. If you beat Star Man you can unlock the Super Arrow. It’s an arrow that can help you reach higher areas if it lands on a wall. It uses energy the more distance it goes so be thoughtful about how you use it. It can also be used as an attack but I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Finally there is Beat which you can unlock by finding the item that spells out ROCKMAN5. There’s one in each stage. Beat will target enemies and it’s quite strong but each hit will take energy from him so be thoughtful about his use. He’s also great for the bosses of the fortress.
As per usual we get the stages done and now it’s time for Blues’ fortress where goddamn he must be a huge narcissist because his fortress has his whole helmet on it. I’m not gonna lie with you all, these stages just keep becoming more mind numbing to talk about as these parts roll by. Like yeah the levels don’t suck but I just don’t have much to say. They don’t feel any more challenging to beat. Even the bosses aren’t fun as they’re all Dark Man bosses that are fairly easy to beat. The 4th stage has an interesting gimmick where you have to destroy blocks to push the top area down more for you to traverse but it’s such a short section. You finally reach Blues and it turns out he’s another Dark Man and goes down easily thanks to Beat. Yep big shocker, Dr. Wily was the villain the whole time. I don’t even care anymore to try to fake my reaction.
So you now have to do a couple of Wily stages for his fortress. I really love the section where if you land on the right side, the screen scrolls you right on spikes and you’re dead. How fun. I really like the part where they completely reuse the crusher segment from Dust Man’s stage from Rockman 4. Were they really that out of ideas by this point? This fortress also has the one water section in the game so that’s neat I guess. At least the first boss is neat being the Big Pets where you shoot the sections to platform on them to shoot Crystal Eye at his head. Fun boss idea! The Circring Q9 though is pretty standard but damn he hurts like hell so make sure you still have Gyro Attack left on you. There’s also the Robot Master rematches but it’s so easy in this one because the game is easy. Have I said that too many times? I'm sorry. Then you fight the Wily Press and this fight is such a joke that I swear Wily isn’t even trying like I didn’t even get hit once. I didn’t even know he was weak to Star Crash. Wily Machine 5 is also easy like you just shoot Super Arrows and then boom boom it down. Then there’s Wily Capsule II and as long as you have Beat and an E-Tank or two, you’ll win 100%. It’s very similar to the final boss in Rockman 4. Wait why are the machines normal numbers but the capsule is a roman numeral that makes no sense. Well you beat him and you reach Dr. Right’s cell and he’s saved! Problem is the building is collapsing and-holy shit since when could Rockman hold a ceiling? Sadly Wily escapes leaving the two in peril but Blues saves them in time as all three watch the fortress crumble. Blues leaves as the other two continue to watch Wily fly away. What a nothing kind of ending. We didn’t even learn anything about Blues! Plus this once again shows Wily will probably be the villain next game once again, sigh.
Rockman 5 looks great presentation wise. The graphics are superb and even better than 4’s which were already really good. I like the transition effect when you select a stage and go into their introduction. Though I have to dock a point for the awful get weapon screen. Like what happened guys it looked so good in 4. I really like the jetski section in terms of looks and the speed when riding that elevator in Gyro Man’s stage. There’s barely any flicker or slowdown too which is great. The music is also something I find a little underrated. There’s some great tracks like Dark Man Fortress’ theme, Gravity Man’s theme, and even the Wily Fortress’ theme sounds moody and I like it. This game also has my favorite song in the entire series which is Wave Man’s theme. It will forever be my favorite song in the franchise. I just love the feels it gives me. This is one of the things I’ll give the game over 4 even if it’s not anything gameplay related. Also the password theme doesn’t suck this time.
I feel kind of sad realizing Rockman 5 wasn’t going to change my opinion on this replay. I really was hoping to defend it saying my past feelings were wrong! The game isn’t bad but I wouldn’t call it a good game but why? Well I just don’t think I feel much from it. I’m just going through the motions in Rockman 5. I don’t think easy games are bad but this game doesn’t do much to excite me besides a few stages and the difficulty isn’t helping that. I’d argue it is a better game than the first one but for some reason I like playing that one more. I’m just very conflicted but regardless this still isn’t a game you should avoid but for me I’d just rather play most of the other entries we have seen so far. There will be a Rockman 6 but that won’t be for a bit so next time it’s once again back to the Game Boy with Rockman World 3. Very interested to see how I’ll feel about that entry after so many years.
Part 1: Rockman for Famicom
Part 2: Rockman 2: Dr. Wily no Nazo for Famicom
Part 3: Rockman 3: Dr. Wily no Saigo!? for Famicom
Part 4: Rockman World for GB
Part 5: Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! for Famicom
Part 6: Rockman World 2 for GB
Part 8: Rockman World 3 for GB
Part 9: Wily & Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise for Famicom
Part 10: Rockman World 4 for GB
Part 11: Rockman 6: Shijō Saidai no Tatakai!! for Famicom
Part 12: Rockman's Soccer for Super Famicom
Part 13: Rockman World 5 for GB
We’re in the 7th part of this review series and it’s another action platformer on the Famicom. I’m surprised Capcom still even had good ideas left for the franchise and this isn’t even the last game on the console. If Rockman 5: Blues no Wana!? (Translated as Rockman 5: Blues’ Trap!?) is known for one thing, I’d have to say it’s being one of the least liked of the Famicom games. I’ve never really seen anyone say this is their favorite though I’m sure they exist. I was hoping playing this again would change my mind on it like with 4 but well let’s get into it.
So what’s the plot this time? Well after two months from Rockman 4, Rock begins to ask Dr. Right about who exactly Blues is. Dr. Right reluctant to give an answer when suddenly Dr. Cossack let them know a new creation named Beat the Bird was finished. Rockman goes out to retrieve him but it gives the chance for evil to attack and not only that it appears Blues is their leader. Dr. Right calls Rockman back for an emergency but it was too late as Blues kidnapped him. With no time to think, Rockman sets forth to put a stop to Blues and his eight Robot Masters that he somehow has. Now I wanna point something out, a video I watched for this game said the japanese manual spoils what happens later on. I tried to read this manual and could not find where it says this outside of Rockman not believing it was Blues so if you wanna call me out for just not seeing it in the manual then go right ahead.
There is barely anything to add in terms of controls or new mechanics. All that’s been added for this one is the new Super Rock Buster. Yes already they’re doing another new Buster. It’s a more powerful charge size and power wise compared to 4’s New Rock Buster but it has the side effect of losing the charge when you get hit. It should be noted it was Dr. Cossack who developed this new Buster so that’s nice of him.
Let’s just discuss this now, Rockman 5 is easy. Like it is a very easy game that even the PS1 release I’ll go over in the future called it the Easy Rockman game. While it’s not Rockman World 2 easy, it can feel like it at times. That said however, stage design still follows a lot of what made Rockman 4 very good. You got the likes of the interesting yet deceptive gravity of Gravity Man’s stage, the falling crystals of Crystal Man’s stage, and then just Vietnam from Napalm Man’s stage. That said however not every stage is all that great. You got stuff like Charge Man and Gyro Man’s stages being just alright but nothing outstanding. Then you have Wave Man’s which has a cool pipe leak hazard, bubble platforming, and even riding a water jetski to shoot enemies down but the level feels kind of unfinished. It only has one very easy bubble section and there’s like almost no enemies until the jetski section. Stone Man’s stage is also just really boring but it is one of two stages to have the new M-Tank. It refills all of your weapon energy and health. Though you can only carry one with you. If for some reason if you want more lives which idk why you would, try using the M-Tank when everything is full. It will turn every enemy into a 1-up. For the order of Robot Masters I did, this time it was Gravity -> Gyro -> Crystal -> Napalm -> Stone -> Charge -> Wave -> Star. You know what I also realize? There’s only one mini boss in this game and it’s Octoper OA in Wave Man’s stage. I wonder why there’s none in this title? I really can’t describe well what makes the level design less fun in this one. Maybe it’s the challenge but I personally think it’s because some levels aren’t as fun as they could be. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still in ways very solid but nothing about it feels all that exciting anymore outside of some notable setpieces like I mentioned earlier. I’m not saying it should be like 100% new innovative gameplay but I think me preferring 4’s level design more is hurting my perception of this title’s stage design.
Well unlike Rockman 4, you won’t struggle too hard on these Robot Masters. Stone Man is pretty easy as he just jumps around most of the time. Just don’t bother shooting him when he’s crumbled apart. He also uses Power Stone but trust me you’ll be fine. Gravity Man is on the opposite side of you so try to shoot him as you’re switching sides and he won’t be too bad. Just remember he does try to get under you and occasionally shoot at you. Crystal Man starts off with 4 Crystal Eyes but that’s the only part you’ll have a hard time dodging because he then likes to shoot just one Crystal Eye at you making it a relatively easy fight. I hate fighting Charge Man, I’ve never had a Robot Master fight where it’s so 50/50 if I win. He likes to charge at you and also shoot out 3 pieces of coal in a random location. The problem is he is invulnerable during the attacks making it feel more tedious. Napalm Man likes to shoot out missiles and lob out Napalm Bombs. He’s surprisingly easy to dodge so once you learn his two moves then you’ll be golden! Wave Man will spout out a Water Wave that will bounce off your Buster shots. He will also shoot a small trident at you so watch out. Star Man will have his Star Crash protecting him and will throw it at you but he’s so easy to dodge that you’ll have him beat in no time. Gyro Man will throw his Gyro Attack at you so be ready to slide and when he goes up in the clouds, be ready for him to land on you. So they’re not all bad fights but nothing too memorable either. Don’t really have much else to say.
Oh boy, the special weapons in this game. I have a lot of things to say about these. Power Stone from Stone Man is bad.It shoots out three stones in this circle like pattern and it’s not only hard to aim it most of the time but the power is lacking on this one making it not worth using outside of very very niche scenarios. Gravity Hold from Gravity Man is just Rain Flush but worse. That means it’s still good but what kept it from being my favorite one is that enemies won’t drop items if you defeat them this way so be thoughtful of that when doing the fortress levels. Crystal Eye from Crystal Man is okay but could be a lot better. It shoots one big crystal but if it hits a wall, it’ll release three small crystals that bounce around. It’s just hard to set up this one well because again, the power isn’t amazing on it. Charge Kick from Charge Man is really really bad! It gives your slide an attack like you’re playing Valis III but it not only does this mean it works on ground enemies only but you can’t even use your Super Rock Buster for this special weapon. Even worse, only one enemy is weak to it which is Suzy G. It’s not even good for Wave Man since you’ll get hurt trying to use it most of the time. In fact the only enemy I ever felt confident using it on was Twin Cannon which isn’t even a hard enemy! Napalm Bomb from Napalm Man is the best move in the game but that’s not saying much. It shoots out a bomb that moves forward that is mostly useful for stuff on the ground. A lot of enemies are actually weak to this move so it’s not bad to have out at times but its weaknesses do bring it down sadly. Water Wave from Wave Man is also bad. It shoots out water that moves on the ground but like why would you even want this when we already have a good move for ground enemies? I never found a use for it. Star Crash from Star Man is just another shield weapon and it’s the worst one so far. It’s weak and you don’t need it in a game like this to begin with. The only reason it’s not even worse is because it can help for Crystal Man’s stage.Gyro Attack is good but that’s mostly because a lot of enemies are weak to it. It lets you shoot it and let it move up or down depending on the direction you press. Great for Apache Joe and Power Muscler. My advice is to just stick with Gravity Hold, Napalm Bomb and Gyro Attack. Ignore the rest because I think I played worse trying to use them. The Super Rock Buster is better than every special weapon in most scenarios. I think Gyro Attack is the only one you really need if you don’t care to use them but Napalm Bomb can be helpful in scenarios.
What does Rush have for us this time? Well Rush Coil was changed so now he bounces with you letting you jump at the apex of it. Though the height is identical to the original Coil. I still will hate it because one time I used it and Rockman went through him and I fell on spikes, fun. Rush Jet is back but it’s been nerfed again! Get hit while riding him and it knocks you off so be careful when using him over deadly hazards. Rush was done dirty in this game. Eddie is still in levels so if you remember what I said about him in 4, well he’s the same here. If you beat Star Man you can unlock the Super Arrow. It’s an arrow that can help you reach higher areas if it lands on a wall. It uses energy the more distance it goes so be thoughtful about how you use it. It can also be used as an attack but I wouldn’t recommend doing that. Finally there is Beat which you can unlock by finding the item that spells out ROCKMAN5. There’s one in each stage. Beat will target enemies and it’s quite strong but each hit will take energy from him so be thoughtful about his use. He’s also great for the bosses of the fortress.
As per usual we get the stages done and now it’s time for Blues’ fortress where goddamn he must be a huge narcissist because his fortress has his whole helmet on it. I’m not gonna lie with you all, these stages just keep becoming more mind numbing to talk about as these parts roll by. Like yeah the levels don’t suck but I just don’t have much to say. They don’t feel any more challenging to beat. Even the bosses aren’t fun as they’re all Dark Man bosses that are fairly easy to beat. The 4th stage has an interesting gimmick where you have to destroy blocks to push the top area down more for you to traverse but it’s such a short section. You finally reach Blues and it turns out he’s another Dark Man and goes down easily thanks to Beat. Yep big shocker, Dr. Wily was the villain the whole time. I don’t even care anymore to try to fake my reaction.
So you now have to do a couple of Wily stages for his fortress. I really love the section where if you land on the right side, the screen scrolls you right on spikes and you’re dead. How fun. I really like the part where they completely reuse the crusher segment from Dust Man’s stage from Rockman 4. Were they really that out of ideas by this point? This fortress also has the one water section in the game so that’s neat I guess. At least the first boss is neat being the Big Pets where you shoot the sections to platform on them to shoot Crystal Eye at his head. Fun boss idea! The Circring Q9 though is pretty standard but damn he hurts like hell so make sure you still have Gyro Attack left on you. There’s also the Robot Master rematches but it’s so easy in this one because the game is easy. Have I said that too many times? I'm sorry. Then you fight the Wily Press and this fight is such a joke that I swear Wily isn’t even trying like I didn’t even get hit once. I didn’t even know he was weak to Star Crash. Wily Machine 5 is also easy like you just shoot Super Arrows and then boom boom it down. Then there’s Wily Capsule II and as long as you have Beat and an E-Tank or two, you’ll win 100%. It’s very similar to the final boss in Rockman 4. Wait why are the machines normal numbers but the capsule is a roman numeral that makes no sense. Well you beat him and you reach Dr. Right’s cell and he’s saved! Problem is the building is collapsing and-holy shit since when could Rockman hold a ceiling? Sadly Wily escapes leaving the two in peril but Blues saves them in time as all three watch the fortress crumble. Blues leaves as the other two continue to watch Wily fly away. What a nothing kind of ending. We didn’t even learn anything about Blues! Plus this once again shows Wily will probably be the villain next game once again, sigh.
Rockman 5 looks great presentation wise. The graphics are superb and even better than 4’s which were already really good. I like the transition effect when you select a stage and go into their introduction. Though I have to dock a point for the awful get weapon screen. Like what happened guys it looked so good in 4. I really like the jetski section in terms of looks and the speed when riding that elevator in Gyro Man’s stage. There’s barely any flicker or slowdown too which is great. The music is also something I find a little underrated. There’s some great tracks like Dark Man Fortress’ theme, Gravity Man’s theme, and even the Wily Fortress’ theme sounds moody and I like it. This game also has my favorite song in the entire series which is Wave Man’s theme. It will forever be my favorite song in the franchise. I just love the feels it gives me. This is one of the things I’ll give the game over 4 even if it’s not anything gameplay related. Also the password theme doesn’t suck this time.
I feel kind of sad realizing Rockman 5 wasn’t going to change my opinion on this replay. I really was hoping to defend it saying my past feelings were wrong! The game isn’t bad but I wouldn’t call it a good game but why? Well I just don’t think I feel much from it. I’m just going through the motions in Rockman 5. I don’t think easy games are bad but this game doesn’t do much to excite me besides a few stages and the difficulty isn’t helping that. I’d argue it is a better game than the first one but for some reason I like playing that one more. I’m just very conflicted but regardless this still isn’t a game you should avoid but for me I’d just rather play most of the other entries we have seen so far. There will be a Rockman 6 but that won’t be for a bit so next time it’s once again back to the Game Boy with Rockman World 3. Very interested to see how I’ll feel about that entry after so many years.